I have a 2005 F-350. When it started getting cold out it would start with a rough idle, like it was missing. After a couple minutes or so it would run smooth. Now it acts a little more rough when starting, then after about 20-30 seconds it gets a lot worse, puffs out black smoke and dies. If I get it to run, it is fine after it warms up a little. I have it plugged in to a block heater. Do I have one or more glow plugs not working?

You should see if any codes are on it for the glow plugs...I replaced mine and now its starting great...but mine were showing codes...if you do have to replace them i would assume you are going to have to change the wiring harnesses (both sides) too...after 5 years they don't come off to well and are likely to crack/break etc...at least that's my experience...

I'm running 5w40 mobil 1 full synthetic some run 10w30 rotella t5

I also had the latest and greatest flash from fords...i can't say it helped my mileage...but the inductive heating sure helped with cold starts/running too...

Only really good advice i can give is see what codes are showing if any...before you start throwing money at it...if no codes its really easy to test the FICM...

I tried letting the glow plugs warm up longer and that didn't work. I'll have to go and buy a code reader and see if it shows anything. I'll post the results when I find out. Luckily this isn't a vehicle I need everday.
Thanks, everyone,

I had this same problem and thought I had a bad FICM. I took it to the dealership to get checked out and ended up all I needed was a reflash. It has been starting with no problems ever since. I would try that first before spending the $500 - $1300 on replacing the FICM.

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